This little hidden gem packs a punch with it's delicious food, friendly service and bucolic charm. We visited Graeagle and discovered The Iron Door just a few miles away in Johnsville Ca. We left satisfied and happy to plan a return visit very soon. The food we had, crab cakes, clam chowder, chicken marsala, beef stroganoff and berry cobbler were all absolutely delicious! The espresso martini I had was unmatched. The staff, servers, chefs & owners were all friendly and welcoming. We look forward to returning often to one of our new favorite restaurants. If you're in the area don't hesitate to eat here. A+ read more

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Amazing little spot in what feels like the middle of nowhere in Johnsville Ca 10 minutes west of Graeagle. A beautiful historic building from 1876 with all the rustic charm you'd expect , original hardwood floors , beautiful wood beams and a cozy little bar right when you walk in . The staff was super friendly, great customer service and hospitality, squeezed us in without a reservation! My wife and I enjoyed the Chicken Marsala and Beef Stroganoff each served with mashed potatoes and mixed veg. Both meals were cooked to perfection with a delicious sauce that should accompany each dish . 10/10 for me on both dishes, it would be hard to pick a favorite but I'd have to order the stroganoff again on my next visit ..... too good!! Both meals came with a delicious side salad - blue cheese dressing was house made and yummy! Fresh bread, two different kinds , both were spot on . Iron Door hit a home run with every single portion of our meal and the rustic country charm of this hidden gem was the icing on the cake!!! I almost don't want to share my secret........ but if you are visiting Graeagle, pass on all the dining options in Blairsden and Graeagle and head up the mountain to little ol Johnsville for a meal that is sure to satisfy! If you want to impress your friends the super cool hidden gem that only the locals know about, The Iron Door is THE place to go. Cheers!! read more

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Great service , great food and an adorable rustic restaurant oozing with history. This lovely restaurant is tucked away in Johnsville just west of Graeagle. By far the best food ive had in the Portola /Graeagle area and rivals any meal ive had in Reno/ Tahoe area. Chicken marsala was delicious, came with mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables and a side salad....... Everything was absolutely amazing. Hard not to fall in love with the country charm of the place. We will definitely be back very soon!! read more

The Iron Door - Chicken Marsala 10/10 - New American Near Me - Johnsville, California

Dinner at The Iron Door was a walk down memory lane for me. I grew up in the area and rode past this landmark weekly during the winters in the 1970's and 80's thanks to a ski instruction program managed by local schools. The Iron Door existed back then and I remember having dinner with my parents over 40 years ago. I have no idea how many times the ownership of The Iron Door has changed hands over the years... no doubt a few. To the best of my knowledge, today's owners have no familial relationship with the owners 40+ years ago, but I can say they've done a great job of maintaining the old charm as well as elements of the old menu. The "Johnsville Special" listed on the dessert menu, for example, was a favorite of my family, and my parents even replicated it at home. It's a simple but delicious dessert. For dinner this time, I chose the Cajun Garlic Prawns... they were delicious. I love garlic, and these were loaded with it! For the entree, I initially chose the scallops until the server told us about the specials. Ugh. Both of the specials sounded good - one was Prime Rib and the other option was Swordfish. I was torn. I decided on the Swordfish. It was very good but I can't say it dazzled me. The Seafood Risotto definitely sweetened the deal, though - perfectly done risotto in a creamy sauce and generous portions of seafood. My date chose the Stroganoff with whipped potatoes. Excellent. The gravy was very tasty, the delicate chunks of beef melted in our mouths (yeah, I might have sampled a bit) and the small whole mushrooms were great (I had a lot of those, since she doesn't like mushrooms). We passed on dessert even though it would have been fun to have the Johnsville Special, which we both remembered from our childhood. When you visit, be sure to wander around and check out the history on the walls - it's all part of the experience. Ask about the little girl pictured on the wall across the room from the bar - legend is she has been seen wandering around from time to time over the years. read more

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My first time at this longstanding, historic restaurant. The ambiance is comfortable and welcoming. Even the bathroom was adorable, smelling wonderful and super clean. The front door opens into the bar area which has plenty of seats. The bar opens into the main room of the restaurant and there is an additional room with windows of the beautiful outdoor view of Johnsville. They have a full bar and excellent wine selection. My husband's Moscow Mule was delicious, but the Lavender Lemon Drop (martini) was exceptional! Sweet without being cloying and you could smell and taste the lavender. We shared the Prawn appetizer and it was delicious! Four large prawns in a delicious garlic sauce with crostini to dip. Their bread basket had warmed pretzel and sourdough bread and was perfect with the homemade Lima bean and bacon soup, and my salad had crisp greens and one of the best blue cheese dressings I've ever enjoyed. The prime rib was tender and flavorful, and the whipped potato side was light and fluffy. My husband's Chicken Marsala was incredible. A perfect portion of melt-in-your mouth goodness and the Marsala sauce was wonderful. For dessert we shared the berry cobbler. It was warmed and served with vanilla icecream. It was good, but not my favorite portion of the meal. We would probably try the Crème Brûlée on a return trip. The service was excellent and the staff very friendly. I highly recommend The Iron Door for a date night or any special occasion. We have found our new local favorite! read more

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This is a rustic and interesting dining experience. It is located some distance from town near an old gold mine. The interior has large wood beams and sloping floors and tables. Just like the old days. But, don't order the Jeager Schnitzel - Two over-cooked tough greasy veal patties. Flavorless. I took a few bites and did not eat the rest. The purple cabbage was great. My friends had the beef stroganoff, and it was good. The service seemed slow but was diligent with filling water glasses and clearing plates. read more

Well we had a reservation for 6:30 and arrived about 25 min early and were told they could be seated at the table in the center of the restaurant and bar ! It was not busy and there were several tables around that we normally sit at for 2 people and we were told we could either wait for a nicer table or take the one in the busiest part of the restaurant near the bar! We drove from Lake Tahoe and this normally is our go to place ! Very unhappy ! Poor customer service ! I've been going to Iron Door for close to 40 years! Never again read more

This restaurant came highly recommended so we decided to give it a try while in the area for the weekend. Easily made a same day reservation through Google. Service was great, our server (Fernanda I think?) was very attentive and gave great menu recommendations. Drinks were very tasty, I had the lavender lemon drop and it was so good! Food was even better. I had the scallops which were cooked perfectly and the seafood risotto on the side paired perfectly with it. I loved that the entrees came with a soup or salad, we got the clam chowder and it was very tasty, lots of good sized clams which isn't always the case. The bread was actually insanely good too. Not a single thing I could complain about! Great service, great food, and a cool vibe. Perfect for our impromptu date night :) read more

We would give it more stars if possible! This is the best undiscovered dining experience ever! We enjoyed steak and lobster and the shrimp scampi. For appetizer we enjoyed the bruschetta duo! The food and service was absolutely amazing! Highly recommend! read more

The Iron Door - New American Near Me - Johnsville, California

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Amazing steaks and love the ambiance. Service was great. Rustic building dating back to the early 1900's. Definitely want to go back. read more

The Iron Door - Iron Door Restaurant - New American Near Me - Johnsville, California

Great spot. Went for our anniversary. Was not disappointed. Great food and atmosphere

Pleasant surprise. Had a great dinner in a very cool rustic setting. The only thing that sucked was that they put us near the service staff door. Kind of blew the ambiance for me. I had the Veal Schnitzel and it was very tasty. The mashed potatoes were dry and there was not enough gravy. I would order it again though. My dinner salad was great thanks to the chunks of blue cheese and dressing. My wife loved her prime rib. Great bit potato that she enjoyed. We split the cobbler and it was absolutely fantastic. Nice crispy top to eat with the ice cream. Our service was excellent. She was attentive and pleasant. read more

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Arrived about 20 min early and though no one was seated, we still had to wait, but still got in earlier than our reservation. Had the jaeger schnitzel. Very tasty. Could have been just a bit more tender, but overall it was good. Service was very good with someone coming by every few mins to refill water glasses and to check in on things. Looking at some of the reviews, we didn't really have too long of a wait for the food - but again, we were there really for the opening so that there weren't too many orders coming into the kitchen at that point. read more

We enjoyed a lovely meal. Staff was courteous and professional. However, we felt we were being 'moved along'; at the front end, we had a bit of a wait for the bottle of wine, the salad, and a longer wait for our entrées; repeated attempts to pull our dishes off the table; boxing up and presenting our leftovers before our meal was finished; asking us to leave our table to facilitate another seating. If the intent all along was to 'flip' our table, it seems appropriate to let us know UP FRONT how much time we had. Chris Murray, Quincy, dining at the Door since 1961 read more

We have now eaten here for several years. They are always understaffed. Expect 45 minutes from the time you order to getting your food. Didn't see our server much but the young blond girl busser gave great service and attention. My wife's fillet mignon was ordered as medium. It was dry and cool. Of course, it sat waiting to be served. I had the seafood pasta in a sherry cream sauce. Seafood was good but sauce was crap. It had no taste and reminded me of water with corn starch and a bit of flavor I cannot place! It is a go to in the area but actually is just a place to say you had dinner there. It probably had a good reputation over time but sadly, has faded. Go there to say you did, but find somewhere else if you want your money's worth. read more

Fantastic place and will definitely be back! Had scallops and crispy pork appetizers with seafood salad and osobucco for main course followed by mocha moose cake. read more

Excellent dinner. The drive leads one to a restaurant pretty much in the middle of no where. Locals had recommended the Iron Doot and we were not disappointed. I am a non drinker and the bartender made me a cocktail. I had the scampi - the prawns were cooked to perfection - and my husband had the beef stroganoff. Great place! read more

The Iron Door - New American Near Me - Johnsville, California

Our camping crew were in Graeagle/Clio for a few days golfing and eating, loving life. We made reservations for the Iron Door, and the previous reviews were spot on. We found a very relaxing atmosphere with a delightful menu, great wine list and great service. The Iron Door is a bit out of the way but so very worth the drive. read more

This place has never disappointed. Great food, drinks and atmosphere. It's a bit remote but worth it!!

We were passing through Graeagle last night and based on some stellar Yelp reviews we decided to stop at The Iron Door for dinner...am I ever glad that we did! It's an old general store/postoffice (1906) in a town of with a population of 30-to-70, and despite these humble numbers, the kitchen is turning out sophisticated, thoughtful dishes at very approachable prices. We ordered the scallop and pork belly appetizer ($18), which gets you two perfectly seared sea-fresh scallops and a hunk of melt-in-your-mouth pork belly goodness. It's a small dish best suited for two, but it really couldn't have been any better in terms of balance of flavors and freshness. For entrees, I had the cowboy ribeye, which was a Fred Flintstone-sized bone-in chunk o' meat cooked with a perfect sear on the outside and an interior that was rare-as-the-day-it-was-born. Exactly what I ordered, exactly what I wanted! This sucker was both glorious and daunting, and at $50 I really felt like it was one of the better steak deals I've had in some time. I'd order this again in a heartbeat. The folks had jaeger schnitzel ($32), a nice crispy cutlet of veal with mashed potatoes and ragout of cabbage, and the prime rib ($?), again cooked to a beautiful rare. My wife had the swordfish ($34), and while the flavor was perfect she had asked for it rare and it really was cooked more to a medium. It wasn't send-back worthy, but it was the kitchen's only miss of the night. For dessert we all split a double scoop of maple pecan ice cream in an edible toffee bowl. And honestly, I'm still full and exhausted from this epic meal. What a treat! read more

Food was delicious and the service was excellent. There is a problem though when you have a large table and you ask them to split your bill into separate checks per couple. We felt really sorry for our waitress as their system is very cumbersome. She basically gave us one check for a table of 12 and then told us to figure out our own bill with tax & tip included. We are honest but I'm not sure everyone is so there is room for error in the restaurant receiving the correct total. Hope they got paid correctly for our table of 12, it was a big bill! read more

Found this gem during an annual trip to Graegle. Tucked away in the woods is a classic fine dining experience with tons of ambiance and atmosphere. Stepping into the building is like going back in time to a frontier lodge. The drinks at the bar were very good while we waited for our table. After being sat, our server was incredibly helpful and conscientious. She asked if we wanted to move tables once we were sat next to a larger, louder group (who does that? - amazing). The appetizers were great, the entrees were decadent, and the wine suggestions on point. The lamb was the showstopper of the evening! I'm not a huge lamb guy, and I'd order that lamb again and again. Don't even get me started on the potatos au gratin! All and all a great experience and the price was on par with the value we received. We'll be back next year. read more

The Iron Door - Front door, signage, and street - New American Near Me - Johnsville, California

We have eaten here two times and both times we had difficulties. The first time we arrived on time and there were many two tops open but they sat us in the corridor coming out of the kitchen in a very tiny spot. It was our anniversary and I asked them if we could move. I said we would be happy to wait at the bar. They refused at first but after much pleading and begging and sitting at the bar they gave us another table. The next time we had a 7:30 reservation and arrived 15 min early and sat at the bar. We ordered drinks and took them to our table at 7:30. We ordered an appetizer, thank goodness , because the waitress didn't take our order for awhile and when she did she informed us the kitchen was having a problem. Our salads arrived 30min after we had placed our order. Then when she returned to pick up the plates she told us she would be firing our order but the kitchen was really backed up and there was a 5 top and a twelve top before us! Our food arrived 30 min after that. We were eating at 9PM, ONE AND A HALF HOURS AFTER WE SAT DOWN! To make matters worse when the bill arrived we had a bunch of drinks on it that weren't ours. We barely caught it or we would have overpaid by $60. Almost no one was in the restaurant when we left but the manager never came by to apologize. I contacted them the next day to discuss my disappointment with the situation and the manager said he was sorry but they had been busy, not his fault. I pressed the issue and he said the owner would call me. The owner did call and left me a message saying she had heard I had some kindave problem and she was contacting me. She knew exactly what the problem was as my server had said there was a big issue in the kitchen that night and I had talked to the manager about it. She offered no apology at all. These owners know they have problems and do not care and do not want to take care of their customers. There are so few places to eat in the Graeagle area that they can get away with this. Their food is average, their prices are high and their service is horrible. Please go somewhere else, Grizzly Grill is wonderful and Cuccia's is good also. read more

The entire staff created a memorable experience for our daughter's graduation from college. Alicia was our wonderfully attentive server in this beautifully renovated old store/post office. She didn't steer us wrong with our choices of wine and meals. We started with ceviche and bruschetta - both were great. Our wines Miro Zin and Pinot Grigio were perfect with our meals: Diver Scallops in Beurre Blanc, Lamb Chops, Chicken Marsala, Peppered Filet Mignon with Mushrooms, Pasta de Mariscos (fettuccine with Beurre Blanc sauce over prawns, clams, halibut, salmon, scallops), sautéed mushrooms on the side. All dishes were loved at our table. Toffee Cake (decorated plate for our graduate), Bread Pudding, Maple Ice Cream Johnsville - lovely finishes for our special dinner out. A GREAT EXPERIENCE! read more

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My signature dish, peppercorn steak was pretty good, but my wife's pasta dish was "meh." Soup course wasn't even hot. Service was ok. Pleasant atmosphere. However, for the price of the food and wine I cannot recommend. Seems to have fallen off. I would suggest Cuccia's for a better meal at a better price. read more

Excellent food. Service consistently good, but sometimes the wait staff seem overwhelmed.

It is a great place to take your wife or mother on Mother's Day of the atmosphere is wonderful. It's up in the mountains a little bit. The drive is fantastic. You'd be read more

took awhile for the food to come out, but it was good nonetheless. I got the gnocchi and a lemon drop.

Food is great and the place is a destination in itself. Staff is wonderful as well. Suggest calling ahead, the place is usually quite busy

Service is always impeccable and they have the best cocktails in the county. No bad meals here.

My husband and I had been to this restaurant many years ago and decided to go again when we were in the area after hiking. We are so happy we made the effort because this restaurant is amazing! Let's start with the greeting upon arrival, warm and welcoming. The bar is well stocked and the bartender knew her way around it. The hostess seated us after we had a chance to relax with a few sips of our cocktails. The ambiance is rustic but nice, with flowers and candles on the table. The menu has something for everyone. I decided to order the sea scallops with seafood risotto and fresh vegetables. Absolutely delicious and cooked perfectly, and I am very fussy about scallops. My husband went with the pork osso bucco served with mushroom risotto and vegetables. It was "fall off the bone" perfection, not dry, and full of flavor. The risotto served with our dishes were delicious and complimented the scallops and osso bucco perfectly. The vegetables were fresh and not overcooked. Our server was friendly, efficient, and offered suggestions when asked. She checked back with us to see if all was good, as did the hostess. Even the back staff were on it. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend this restaurant for a special occasion, romantic dinner, or just a great meal when in the area. It's worth the trip!!! read more

The Iron Door - Pork Osso Bucco...Great presentation! - New American Near Me - Johnsville, California

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Loved the quant atmosphere and the food is super good. The bread was good and the food came out cooked perfectly

Impeccable service, delicious food, great coffee, and the dessert was fabulous. We did not favor the gnocchi with pesto, but the chicken marsala was superior. Don't miss the crab cakes (best I've ever had!) and the seafood salad! We have eaten in fine restaurants all over the world, and this was every bit equal. Don't miss the opportunity to dine here! read more

First visit to this wonderful, warm and inviting restaurant off a mountain road in Johnsville, CA just west of Graeagle. Went based on a recommendation as the "fine dining" restaurant in the area and it didn't disappoint!! Old 1906 general store turned resaurant sitting the pines like an oasis in the mountain. 10/10 atmosphere and ambiance! Welcoming staff who were very, very good at their jobs. Clearly high service standards. Food stressed quality over quantity. Delicious and home made. Bruschetta appetizer was super tasty with 4 pieces of crostini, 2 covered w spinach/artichoke/?cheese and 2 w more typical toppings/tomatoes,etc. all covered in a balsamic drizzle. Perfect for the two of us. For dinner I had the veal schnitzel and my wife had the beef stroganoff and they were both perfect! . Would get either again for sure. No dessert tonight but will return to try some. Overall if you're looking for a quality homemade meal in a home-like mountain environment with excellent service then I recommend this place for sure! Not inexpensive but worth it considering the food, service and setting. read more

Great ambience, in a gold rush era hamlet, with home cooking. My favorite is the beef stroganoff with filet mignon. The staff are always, doing their best, to make guests, enjoy their meals. The portions are ample. Always a treat to have dinner here. read more

Love this place. Second to none in rustic atmosphere. Classic bar. Beautiful dining room. Amazing food. Super friendly and efficient staff. The bartender was overworked, but that's cuz they need another bartender. Other than the need for more bar staff, I was very pleased with my visit. Will be back next time I am in the Graeagle area. read more

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Best steak in Plumas County and it's not even close! Great atmosphere and staff is awesome. Haven't had anything on the menu that wasn't a home run. read more

Everything. The food, service and gorgeous historic building make the, " Iron Door" a best kept California secret

This is the first time we have been to the Iron Door, but have always wanted to eat there. We were not disappointed! The staff was so friendly and very attentive. The food! So Good! We had the New York Steak with Au Gratin potatoes, and the Salmon with seafood Risotto. Every bite was delicious! We opted for the Broccoli Cheddar soup for the starter. It was too salty for our taste, but everything else we had was perfectly seasoned. Be sure to check out the second floor where they have some antiques and mining era items. read more

The Iron Door - New York Strip Steak, seasonal vegetables, and Au Gratin potatoes - New American Near Me - Johnsville, California

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Casey suggested this restaurant and it did not disappoint. The main and dessert were delicious. Scallops, salmon and shrimp scampi. All six of us shared three desserts. Suzanne chose an excellent wine. Emily our server was a hoot. She rolled with the old dad jokes and was the epitome of the perfect hostess. The building is a treasure, presenting a unique ambiance. Overall a wonderful meal and experience. Thanks Casey! read more